Why Damian Lillard Is Worth a Top 5 Selection in the 2012 NBA Draft
The first five teams that will be on the clock in tonight’s NBA draft will make one major mistake—not selecting Damian Lillard. Lillard is a complete point guard who is worth a top-five selection.
Lillard may not have gotten the attention that many of the lottery picks received during their collegiate careers, but he will prove why he should’ve.
In his junior year at Weber State—a mid-major university—Lillard averaged 24.5 points per game which was the second-highest in Division I Men’s Basketball. He shot 47 percent from the field, 42.5 percent from three-point range and 88.3 percent from the charity stripe.
How many die-hard college basketball fans even knew he existed before draft coverage started?
ESPN’s Justin Verrier writes that it’s incredible for a player with no national profile by the end of his college career to be selected so high in the draft. His position, efficiency and rave-reviewed draft workouts have shot him up the boards and will make him a top selection.
Lillard isn’t the typical point guard. He’s undersized and rarely showcased his passing ability—averaging just four assists per game in his final season at Weber St. He is, however, the best available point guard in this draft class, according to ESPN.
Although the New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings are likely to select forwards—with the exception of Bradley Beal—they will regret not taking Lillard.
Lillard thinks he will be a much better player in the NBA than in college because he didn’t have NBA-caliber players around him during his career, according to DraftExpress. As Verrier writes, Lillard didn’t even play against any other NBA-caliber players.
"Lillard, however, has never played in a single NCAA tournament game. His only tournament experience has come in the NIT and CIT, in which his Wildcats went 1-3. In fact, he only played against five major-conference opponents (all from the porous Pac-12) in his entire career, in which he averaged 17.2 points on 33 percent shooting while Weber State went 1-4.
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Lillard may not have the experience that the other lottery picks have, but he can still play at their level. His scoring ability will help his transition from college to the NBA and won’t be the lone scoring option. He knows when and how to get his teammates involved and will work on getting better if things aren’t going the way they should be.
"“He’s got a great feel for when our team needs him to be aggressive, a great feel for when others need to be involved,” said Weber State coach Randy Rahe via NBA.com. “If they give him something he takes it, if not, he goes to the next guy…He’s the kind of kid that if he’s not doing something to get better on a daily basis, he struggles with that. He’s such a focused kind on how do I improve, how do I get better.”
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Shouldn’t NBA teams be looking for players with great work ethic?
Coming from a mid-major, Lillard is going to have to prove early that he can keep up with the bigger names in this draft class. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on him to succeed since he’s projected to be such a high pick.
There’s a big emphasis on having a great point guard to play alongside another star forward in today’s game. With a lack of solid talent among point guards in this year’s draft class, Lillard is that much more valuable.
New Orleans is definitely going to take Anthony Davis with the No. 1 overall pick. Washington already has John Wall so Lillard wouldn’t be a fit with them, and the same goes for Cleveland which has Kyrie Irving.
It’s understandable that Charlotte and Sacramento will likely select a forward, but Lillard does have the talent and potential to be an All-Star.
NBA executives and coaches may not realize it now, but whoever gets their hands on Damian Lillard will be very happy with the results he’ll give them.
He’s a small point guard out of a mid-major university, but Lillard is worth a top-five selection in tonight’s draft.
